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Dependabot on Actions page does not document Variables accessibility #43950
Description
Code of Conduct
- I have read and agree to the GitHub Docs project's Code of Conduct
What article on docs.github.com is affected?
What's wrong?
The Dependabot on GitHub Actions page lists restrictions when Dependabot triggers events, but does not mention anything about Actions Variables.
The current docs only say:
Secrets are populated from Dependabot secrets. GitHub Actions secrets are not available.
There is no mention of whether Actions Variables are accessible.
What should it say?
After testing, Actions Variables are accessible in Dependabot-triggered workflows. This should be documented.
Test repo: https://github.com/gokcedemir/dependabot-variables-test
Evidence
Workflow log shows:
Secret source: Dependabot(secrets come from Dependabot store)TEST_VAR = hello_from_actions(Actions variable was accessible)
Related
- Community discussion where this was announced but never documented: https://github.com/orgs/community/discussions/44088
What part(s) of the article would you like to see updated?
The "Restrictions when Dependabot triggers events" section should add a note that Actions Variables (vars context) ARE accessible in Dependabot-triggered workflows, unlike Actions Secrets which are not.
Suggested addition after the existing restrictions list:
"Actions variables (vars context) are accessible in workflows triggered by Dependabot."
Additional information
I tested this with a public repo: https://github.com/gokcedemir/dependabot-variables-test
The workflow log confirmed:
- Secret source: Dependabot
- vars.TEST_VAR was successfully accessed with its value
Screenshot of the log can be provided if needed.
Activity
welcome commentedon Apr 24, 2026
Thanks for opening this issue. A GitHub docs team member should be by to give feedback soon. In the meantime, please check out the contributing guidelines.
Zblumer1 commentedon Apr 26, 2026
nsabedra27-glitch commentedon May 3, 2026
nsabedra27-glitch commentedon May 3, 2026
github-actions commentedon Jun 22, 2026
A stale label has been added to this issue, because it has been open for 30 days with no activity. If you think this issue should remain open, please add a new comment.
github-actions commentedon Aug 17, 2026
A stale label has been added to this issue, because it has been open for 30 days with no activity. If you think this issue should remain open, please add a new comment.
subatoi commentedon Sep 10, 2026
Please see my comment here. Thank you very much